Paint is a commonly manufactured and used substance with millions of tons produced and used every year. As such, paint waste, often referred to and/or in the form of paint sludge, exceeds thousands of tons every year and can create a variety of environmental and economic problems. In addition, increasingly stringent governmental pollution regulations as well as the cost of waste disposal have led to increased concerns regarding the treatment and disposal of paint sludge.
Paint sludge can include a variety of uncured polymer resins, pigments, curing agents, surfactants and other minor formulation ingredients. In addition, the paint sludge can contain water and/or a variety of organic solvents. Heretofore methods have attempted to recycle paint sludge with limited success. As such, most paint sludge is disposed of in appropriate waste landfills. Therefore, a method for recycling paint sludge that is economical and useful for the manufacture of usable components would be desirable.